Like most online university students, our new mascot is a night owl. But while he spends his nights seeking prey and hooty-hooing in spooky old trees and barns, WGU students are often up late for another reason: They’re up studying, doing household chores, finishing up a big work project, doing volunteer work… You get the idea.

It was early 2007 and our family (a soldier, a wife, and three boys) had just arrived on Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. As far as moves go, this one was pretty seamless. The flights, although sleepless, were manageable enough. And thanks to the competent and friendly Housing staff, we were quickly placed in a nice home. Situated atop a beautiful hilltop with a bit of an ocean view, I was in heaven. Then, for good measure, all of our household goods arrived undamaged.

From coast to coast, north to south, there are WGU students earning their online degrees in every American state – as well as a few territories and overseas. That’s the beauty of an online university: no boundaries, no geographical limitations, no need to be in a specific place at a specific time.

In the rapidly growing world of online higher education, the number of reasons for earning a degree online is as great as the number of students enrolled. But again and again, one common theme arises: flexibility. While going to college online is often just as rigorous and challenging as attending a more traditional school, students earning a degree online don’t face the same kinds of time and space restrictions.